eberl032 wrote:I called financial aid yesterday in regards to need based aid. They told me in the next few weeks they will start awarding grants and loan offers.

This provoked some questions of mine. If loans are based on credit checks (like the Grad Plus loan) and the school is going to give me an award offer. Does this mean every school I applied to is going to be running a credit check on me? Or does FAFSA run it once and all the schools basically tell me what FAFSA said?

Im asking these questions because Im concerned. I want to attend Pepperdine but what if I'm not offered enough loans to cover the cost? Does this happen to people often? I have the oppertunity to attend a Tier 4 in my local area with a full ride. I'd much rather go to Pepperdine, but I have to make a decision by April, and do so not having discovered my loans and/or grants available to me. Am I missing something?

When I visited Pepperdine, I talked to Financial Aid as well. They told me that every student will receive loans to cover the cost of attending (housing, tuition, etc). I may be mistaken, but they made it sound like no matter what your situation is, you will be able to at least take out loans to cover the cost of attending the law school... Maybe call back and talk to them again about your concerns? I haven't ever heard of someone not being able to get loans to go to law school...just complaints about paying them back at the end! haha. Well, I hope it gets all figured out...hope to see you at Pepperdine too!

Yeah when I went through the process I was awarded merit aid and filed a FAFSA - when I checked wavenet one day closer to the start of the school year (Don't remember exactly when) I saw that I was qualified for 3 different student loans which would have covered all costs, and I had received a grant for around $1200.

I think all students will be qualified for plenty of loan money, so there shouldn't be an issue of not having enough money to live and go to school, the issue is how much of it is yours and how much you have to pay back

I'm on the low end of the GPA spectrum, too. Have a sexy 3.17. LSAT was at 75th percentile. I was accepted about 3 weeks ago. Pretty sure it was my mission statement response that pushed me through (I am not religious, which is worth noting).

I'm on the low end of the GPA spectrum, too. Have a sexy 3.17. LSAT was at 75th percentile. I was accepted about 3 weeks ago. Pretty sure it was my mission statement response that pushed me through (I am not religious, which is worth noting).

How do you feel about your mission statement response?

Good, but nothing spectacular. At least, I don't think so. I think if anything was going to push me through it would be my resumé/PS.

I'm on the low end of the GPA spectrum, too. Have a sexy 3.17. LSAT was at 75th percentile. I was accepted about 3 weeks ago. Pretty sure it was my mission statement response that pushed me through (I am not religious, which is worth noting).

I'm on the low end of the GPA spectrum, too. Have a sexy 3.17. LSAT was at 75th percentile. I was accepted about 3 weeks ago. Pretty sure it was my mission statement response that pushed me through (I am not religious, which is worth noting).

How do you feel about your mission statement response?

Good, but nothing spectacular. At least, I don't think so. I think if anything was going to push me through it would be my resumé/PS.

Though, I do have a good reason for my low GPA (included an addendum).

mm yea something tells me that a 160 and a 3.58 is probly not going to get me in, based on the fact that i'm at the 25th percentile for last years class's stats.do your personal statement/ mission statement (even if you wrote a good one about how you're religious) really help that much? i feel like its just your numbers.

meggers88 wrote:mm yea something tells me that a 160 and a 3.58 is probly not going to get me in, based on the fact that i'm at the 25th percentile for last years class's stats.do your personal statement/ mission statement (even if you wrote a good one about how you're religious) really help that much? i feel like its just your numbers.

I think so. My GPA is barely a 3.2, and my LSAT was right on the 75th percentile. I am pretty sure it was my response to the mission statement that pushed me through given that my turnaround was something like 5 - 6 days (between complete and decision rendered). I'm by no means a URM and am not a non-traditional applicant. I was surprised that my cycle with Pepperdine went so quickly... I would actually have been more confident with a 3.6/ 160.

orko60 wrote:I got the DR status update on 3/9. Now I am nervous! How long until I find out? Today I was accepted at Temple and denied at UofGeorgia. 3.6/163.

If admitted, you should get a WaveNet email in 2 - 3 days (sometime in the morning, mine came at 4:00am), and a large envelope in the mailbox within 2 days of the WaveNet invitation. In any case, you can always call the admissions office and they will let you know when your packet was/ will be mailed out. Best of luck!

Also, with your GPA and a 163, I am pretty sure you're in. I had the same LSAT and barely a 3.2.

meggers88 wrote:mm yea something tells me that a 160 and a 3.58 is probly not going to get me in, based on the fact that i'm at the 25th percentile for last years class's stats.do your personal statement/ mission statement (even if you wrote a good one about how you're religious) really help that much? i feel like its just your numbers.

I think so. My GPA is barely a 3.2, and my LSAT was right on the 75th percentile. I am pretty sure it was my response to the mission statement that pushed me through given that my turnaround was something like 5 - 6 days (between complete and decision rendered). I'm by no means a URM and am not a non-traditional applicant. I was surprised that my cycle with Pepperdine went so quickly... I would actually have been more confident with a 3.6/ 160.

What are your softs like? Work experience, etc.?

Softs = work at a law firm for 3 years (summers/ Christmas break), internship for state senator, study abroad and travel. I dunno, a 160 is at the 25th. I wish I could have done better on the LSAT, i was scoring between 162-166 on my diags, just a bad test day for me but I didn't wanna retake it.

So, is anybody here from the Chicago area? If so, can you tell me how long the mail from CA takes? Basically, I went complete on 3/9, I'm leaving for CA for a vacation with relatives on Friday (3/12) afternoon, I want to visit Pepperdine while I'm there, they only release decisions through mail, so...is there any chance that I'll get the decision in the mail by Friday? Thanks!

orko60 wrote:I got the DR status update on 3/9. Now I am nervous! How long until I find out? Today I was accepted at Temple and denied at UofGeorgia. 3.6/163.

If admitted, you should get a WaveNet email in 2 - 3 days (sometime in the morning, mine came at 4:00am), and a large envelope in the mailbox within 2 days of the WaveNet invitation. In any case, you can always call the admissions office and they will let you know when your packet was/ will be mailed out. Best of luck!

Also, with your GPA and a 163, I am pretty sure you're in. I had the same LSAT and barely a 3.2.

So the WaveNet email pretty much means you're in? And, I know this is kind of an obnoxious question to ask so late in the cycle, but how do they give scholarships? Will any offers just come in the first envelope?

fenderjsm88 wrote:So the WaveNet email pretty much means you're in? And, I know this is kind of an obnoxious question to ask so late in the cycle, but how do they give scholarships? Will any offers just come in the first envelope?

Yes you should receive wavenet 2-3 days after being DR and snail mail 2-3 days after that. Scholarship information, if you received one, is in the acceptance packet. Goodluck.

fenderjsm88 wrote:So, is anybody here from the Chicago area? If so, can you tell me how long the mail from CA takes? Basically, I went complete on 3/9, I'm leaving for CA for a vacation with relatives on Friday (3/12) afternoon, I want to visit Pepperdine while I'm there, they only release decisions through mail, so...is there any chance that I'll get the decision in the mail by Friday? Thanks!

I called them because I was out of town and they faxed my acceptance/scholarship to me...you can try that.

fenderjsm88 wrote:So the WaveNet email pretty much means you're in? And, I know this is kind of an obnoxious question to ask so late in the cycle, but how do they give scholarships? Will any offers just come in the first envelope?

Yes you should receive wavenet 2-3 days after being DR and snail mail 2-3 days after that. Scholarship information, if you received one, is in the acceptance packet. Goodluck.

Alright, I got the Wavenet email this morning so that's good news. I'm thinking about calling them and asking them to fax me the decision.